WW2
Christopher Pugsley on military history
Military historian Christopher Pugsley talks with John McCrystal about his career, the business of writing about the First World War, and it contemporary resonances. Audio
Nurse Isobel Thompson - the passing of a quiet NZ legend
Nurse Isobel Thompson worked for CORSO from 1947-50 during China's brutal civil war, helping orphaned children. She was there because of an appeal to NZ from Madame Sun Yat-sen for qualified staff to… Audio
The character of the 28th Māori Battalion as explained by Dr Monty Soutar
It's widely acknowledged that the 28 Māori Battalion "punched above its weight" in the Second World War. In an archival interview from 2009, 28 Māori Battalion scholar and author of Nga Tama Toa: The… Audio
My Uncle's Story
The challenges of translating a family story into a fictional one - Jill Harris' latest book for young readers is The Red Suitcase, which is based on the letters and diary of her uncle who flew… Audio
RNZAF fighter pilot Iggy Woods
He's a rare breed - a New Zealand Air Force fighter pilot. Iggy Woods tells us about the stories from his adventures, and his new book 'Iggy's Air Force Tales'. Audio
Land Girls
Dianne Bardsley, author of 'The Land Girls: In a Man's World, 1939-1946' discusses the vital role women played on home soil while the men were on the front line. Glenburn station had two land girls… Audio
Photographer Laurence Aberhart
Internationally-recognised photographer Laurence Aberhart discusses the inspiration behind his new book Anzac, which documents war memorials from New Zealand and Australia. Audio
Pundit - Military Strategy
Author of the recently-published New Zealand and the First World War 1914-1919, historian Damien Fenton on the wherewithal of war - the Japanese invasion scare of 1942. Audio
Underground history
We go underground with Nick Catford of Subterranea Britannica and Mike Lee of the Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society. Audio
Pundit Military Strategy
Author of the recently published New Zealand and the First World War 1914-1919, historian Damien Fenton on the wherewithal of war. El Alamein was the first battle Damien took a real interest in… Audio
Reconstructing Faces
Murray Meikle is a New Zealand dental surgeon who tells the story of the wave of New Zealand talent that gave rise to the revolution in facial reconstruction during and after the first world war. Audio
World War II airman honored
Seventy years after Flight Lieutenant Royston Taylor and his crew aboard a Lancaster bomber on a mission to Milan crashed in a field in France to avoid nearby village, a member of the Taylor family… Audio
Vanuatu debates whether unexploded bombs pose real threat
Vanuatu is debating whether unexploded bombs left over from World War Two pose a real threat to islands. Audio
The Great Escaper
This is the title of a book by Simon Pearson about the brains behind the escape from Stalag Luft Three. Roger Bushell single-handedly masterminded the biggest allied POW escape of the Second World… Audio
Men of Valour: New Zealand and the Battle for Crete
For decades, the bravery of New Zealanders at Gallipoli during the First World War has taken centre stage on ANZAC Day. But author Dr Ron Palenski says The Battle for Crete should also command a very… Audio
The Enigma Codebreakers - Ursula Frost
The codebreakers at Bletchley Park during WWII would help keep the Allies one step ahead of Hitler and win the war. Among the hundreds of people who worked at Bletchley Park was a 27-year-old women… Audio
Food parcels sent to the UK during WWII
A few weeks ago we spoke to Roger Button, originally from Norwich in England, about the kindness New Zealand children showed him 60 years ago that has not been forgotten. When Roger was just 8 years… Audio
Stag Spooner
Stag Spooner. A self taught artist who's left a remarkable record of his life in the bush and during the war. Neville (Stag) Spooner grew up in Carterton during the Great Depression. Wellington based… Audio
Bob Wood: war stories
Major Bob Wood served with the 19th Wellington Battalion of the First Echelon during World War II, and spent time in prison-of-war camps. Audio
Friendly Occupation
Seventy years today, US marines landed in Wellington in what was called a "friendly occupation" by the locals. This was six months after war broke out in the Pacific. They were stationed at camps… Audio